Chapter 13

Nate's plane landed and he was met by a young man who held up a sign with his name on it. Nate followed him out to a car and climbed in the back seat as instructed. Eliot, Parker and Hardison watched as the man walked out of Heathrow and climbed into the car with the man. They followed at a distance, although they had a fix on Nate as Hardison had made sure he was tagged before he left the Brewpub. The car with Nate in it drove into the country and then turned into the driveway of a large estate. Eliot drove on bye a short distance then stopped when he was sure he was out of site of the gate.

The car carrying Nate drove up to the entrance of the estate and then the young man told him to get out of the car. Nate climbed out of the car and stood waiting for what was to happen next. A tall thin man who looked very much like a butler from the movies emerged from the house and greeted him by name, then took his bags and told him to follow him into the house. Nate looked around and then followed the man ready for anything that might happen. He was shown into a lavishly furnished room with a full stocked wet bar in the corner and overstuffed chairs and a sofa. The butler told him to wait and that his host would be with him shortly.

Nate looked around the room and then walked over to the wet bar and poured himself a whiskey before taking a seat to await what came next.

"Nathan my dear boy so good to meet you at last." A tall English greeted him as if they were old friends as he entered the room.

"Where is Sophie?"

"Ah yes straight to the point, that is good." The man said. "Do you know who I am Nathan?"

Nathan looked at the man closely but did not recognise him at all.

"No…well not surprising, it was a few years ago, I believe just before you left your job with your former employer and shortly after the passing of your son." The man said and smiled as his butler handed him a glass of whiskey and he took a seat opposite Nate.

"Did I have dealings with you?"

"Me…oh no dear boy not with me with my son."

"Your son?'

"Yes, do you remember him, Edward Carrington-Smythe?"

Nate frowned slightly as he cast his mind back and then recognition of the name came to him. A young man who had stolen a priceless piece of jewellery that was insured by IYS, Nate had tracked him and then had him arrested. He was tried and sentenced to five years in jail.

"Your son was a thief?" Nate asked, obviously the boy came from money so why would he choose to lead the life he had. Then again Sophie also came from money and she had given up that to become a Grifter he thought.

"Well he fell in with some unsavoury characters unfortunately. You sent him to prison."

"He was a thief."

"Indeed just like yourself." The man said softly. "Anyway my boy was never the same again, he had to do some very unsavoury things to survive in prison, much like you have had to do here and now in search of your wife. In the end he could not live with himself."

Nate did not respond he just looked at the man wondering where this was going.

"Killing Nathan, what did that feel like, did you enjoy it?" The man asked and he saw Nate's face darken as he listened. "Torturing…and I thought you were not that kind of man. Seems you are a lot more violent and a lot more like your father than you ever thought. I hope that Sophie is worth all you have done to retrieve her. I wonder if she would approve?"

Again Nate said nothing. He was not proud of anything he had done in the last six months but to get Sophie back he would have done a lot more. He had considered what Sophie would have thought of the man he had had to become to get the job done, considering how opposed to it she was when he wanted to take revenge on the men who killed his father by killing them. She would most definitely not approve of most of his actions over the last six months he thought his brows knotting at that thought.

"Well our game is now over Mr Ford." The man said as he stood from his seat and held out a piece of paper to Nate. "You will find her here. I have not harmed her in the least you will be pleased to know, however, to get to her you might have to find that inner killer again or you might die trying…I wish you luck." He said then laughed. "My man will take you back to Heathrow, you can make your own way from there."

Nate stared at the man as he left and then downed the rest of his drink before being shown out and back to the waiting car.

Arriving back at Heathrow the young man opened the door for him and then handed him his bags before getting back into the car and driving off. Shortly thereafter a van with his team pulled up and he climbed in.

"What is going on Nate?" Eliot asked surprised to the see the man back at Heathrow and unharmed.

"Hardison I need to get here." Nate said handing Hardison the note he had been given and ignoring his Hitter. "This is where he is holding Sophie."

Eliot looked at Nate and wondered how he had managed to get the information. He could see the man was tired, but there was something else, something he could not put his finger on.

"Eliot we are going to need weapons." Nate said looking at his Hitter. "Can you get some?"

"Nate?"

"Eliot just please, we need to get to Sophie." He had come to far now and he would take this to the end.

"Ok let me make a call." Eliot said turning around in his seat and making a call. Then he gave Hardison an address and he put it in the GPS before Eliot set off. They arrived at their destination quickly and Eliot told them to wait in the car. He returned a few minutes later with the weapons he had promised and handed a gun to Nate and one to Parker.

"He said there would be resistance, so we need to approach cautiously." Nate said as they approached the large warehouse to which Nate had been directed.

"Ok let me do some recon first." Eliot said looking at Nate as he brought the van to a stop a short distance from the place.

"Yes. You and Parker are going to do some recon, you are going to find where in there they are holding Sophie."

"And you?"

"I am going in the front door." Nate said taking out the weapon Eliot had giving him and checking it. "I am the distraction."

"No Nate."

"Eliot you will find Sophie do you understand, that is your only job. Now he said she is in there and she has not been harmed and I believe him. So find her and get her out."

"I'll go Eliot will go with you." Parker said staring at the man. Was he seriously expecting them to let him walk into a place that may or may not be full of men wanting to kill him?

"No Parker. I will go, now I am not arguing about this, get Sophie out that is your one job. Hardison we might be coming out hot so be ready to go if when we need you." Nate said then looked at his Hitter and locking eyes with him. "When you have Sophie and you are out you will leave, get her away from here no matter what is happening inside. Eliot I am trusting you to do this, I am trusting you to get Sophie out and safe."

"You can't ask that of me Nate. I won't leave you behind man, I just won't." Eliot said softly. "We will get her out, then Parker and Hardison will get her away from here but if you ain't here then…I am coming in after you."

Nate stared at him briefly and then nodded, he was not going to dissuade the Hitter and he had agreed to ensure Sophie was out and safe first before doing anything about retrieving him if he had got himself into trouble and he knew that was the best he was going to get.

"Good." Nate said opening the sliding door of the van. "Hardison, you be ready." He said then turned to the other two. "Be careful and get her out safely."

Before either one could answer him he set off at a brisk pace heading straight for the warehouse. Eliot watched him go and then nodded to Parker and they set off towards the back of the place looking for a discrete way in. Nate would soon enough give the people in the place something to concentrate on and the sooner they got to Sophie and got her out the sooner Eliot could get to Nate and make sure he also got out safely.